Race for 15th: Judy Appel touts experience in education, vows to take on charters

15th Assembly District candidate Judy Appel, who serves on the Berkeley Unified School District board. Photo: Guy Marzorati/KQED

This story is part of a weekly series of profiles of candidates running for the 15th Assembly District. See all the KQED profiles and news about this race.

You don’t have to talk with Judy Appel for long to figure out the issue driving her candidacy for Assembly in the 15th District.

“Education is really my sweet spot in this election,” Appel said. “My number one priority is education, so my first piece of legislation will be around education.”

Appel was first elected to the Berkeley Unified School District board in 2012, and she says her time on the board has cultivated a deep knowledge of school financing, including the Local Control Funding Formula that now dictates how districts get money from the state.